Charged Scalar Self-Mass during Inflation

We compute the one loop self-mass of a charged massless, minimally coupled scalar in a locally de Sitter background geometry. The computation is done in two different gauges: the noninvariant generalization of Feynman gauge which gives the simplest expression for the photon propagator and the de Sitter invariant gauge of Allen and Jacobson. In each case dimensional regularization is employed and fully renormalized results are obtained. By using our result in the linearized, effective field equations one can infer how the scalar responds to the dielectric medium produced by inflationary particle production. We also work out the result for a conformally coupled scalar. Although the conformally coupled case is of no great physical interest the fact that we obtain a manifestly de Sitter invariant form for its self-mass-squared establishes that our noninvariant gauge introduces no physical breaking of de Sitter invariance at one loop order.Comment: 41 pages, LaTeX 2epsilon, 3 figures, uses axodra

Quantum gravity corrections to the conformally coupled scalar self-mass-squared on de Sitter II: kinetic-conformal cross terms

The present work is the second part of a series of computations for the self-mass-squared of the conformally coupled (CC) scalar interacting with gravitons. This work includes the kinetic-kinetic and kinetic-conformal parts, and thus completes the full scalar self-mass squared at one loop order in de Sitter background when combined with the conformal-conformal part previously evaluated. We use dimensional regularization and renormalize the results by subtracting appropriate counterterms. The self-mass squared is finally ready to quantum-correct the CC scalar field equation so that one can study the effect of inflationary produced gravitons on the CC scalar and its observational consequences.Comment: 44 pages, 31 tables, comments welcome, v2: made some clarifications, v3: matches the published version in PR

Quantum Gravity Corrections to the One Loop Scalar Self-Mass during Inflation

We compute the one loop corrections from quantum gravity to the self-mass-squared of a massless, minimally coupled scalar on a locally de Sitter background. The calculation was done using dimensional regularization and renormalized by subtracting fourth order BPHZ counterterms. Our result should determine whether quantum gravitational loop corrections can significantly alter the dynamics of a scalar inflaton.Comment: 47 pages, 3 figures, 20 tables, uses LaTeX 2 epsilon, version 2 revised for publication in Physical Review

Two Loop Scalar Self-Mass during Inflation

We work in the locally de Sitter background of an inflating universe and consider a massless, minimally coupled scalar with a quartic self-interaction. We use dimensional regularization to compute the fully renormalized scalar self-mass-squared at one and two loop order for a state which is released in Bunch-Davies vacuum at t=0. Although the field strength and coupling constant renormalizations are identical to those of lfat space, the geometry induces a non-zero mass renormalization. The finite part also shows a sort of growing mass that competes with the classical force in eventually turning off this system's super-acceleration.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures, revtex4, revised for publication with extended list of reference

BOKASUN: a fast and precise numerical program to calculate the Master Integrals of the two-loop sunrise diagrams

We present the program BOKASUN for fast and precise evaluation of the Master Integrals of the two-loop self-mass sunrise diagram for arbitrary values of the internal masses and the external four-momentum. We use a combination of two methods: a Bernoulli accelerated series expansion and a Runge-Kutta numerical solution of a system of linear differential equations

Gauge covariant fermion propagator in quenched, chirally-symmetric quantum electrodynamics

We discuss the chirally symmetric solution of the massless, quenched, Dyson-Schwinger equation for the fermion propagator in three and four dimensions. The solutions are manifestly gauge covariant. We consider a gauge covariance constraint on the fermion--gauge-boson vertex, which motivates a vertex Ansatz that both satisfies the Ward identity when the fermion self-mass is zero and ensures gauge covariance of the fermion propagator.Comment: 11 pages. REVTEX 3.0. ANL-PHY-7711-TH-9

Numerical evaluation of the general massive 2-loop sunrise self-mass master integrals from differential equations

The system of 4 differential equations in the external invariant satisfied by the 4 master integrals of the general massive 2-loop sunrise self-mass diagram is solved by the Runge-Kutta method in the complex plane. The method, whose features are discussed in details, offers a reliable and robust approach to the direct and precise numerical evaluation of Feynman graph integrals.Comment: 1+21 pages, Latex, 5 ps-figure

Numerical evaluation of the general massive 2-loop self-mass master integrals from differential equations

The system of 4 differential equations in the external invariant satisfied by the 4 master integrals of the general massive 2-loop sunrise self-mass diagram is solved by the Runge-Kutta method in the complex plane. The method offers a reliable and robust approach to the direct and precise numerical evaluation of Feynman graph integrals.Comment: Latex, 2 pages, 1ps-figure, uses included espcrc2.sty, presented at ACAT'2002, VIII International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Research, Moscow, 24-28 June 200